From This Day Forward
by booksdefygravity
Summary: Before their arranged marriage, Draco and Astoria barely spent any time together. Now, they must learn how to get along and face the days to come.
1. Chapter 1: Smile

"Smile!"

It was a bright, beautiful summer day, and I was trapped inside, wearing a heavy, uncomfortable dress, thirty minutes from starting a terrifying new life, unable to run away, unable to do anything. Beneath the silk and pearls, my heart was pounding, my skin icy cold.

I smiled.

"Much better," said my mother. She was smiling, too, her cold reptilian smile. "Remember, Astoria, you are _happy._"

"Very happy," I said, through my smile. "Right. Of course. Naturally. What else?"

My mother glared.

"I'm happy," I said, trying to convince myself of it. "Happy. Happy." I reached for my pearl necklace, but Mother slapped my hand away.

"Don't _fuss,_ Astoria," she said impatiently.

I sighed. "Shouldn't you be out front crying or something?"

"There will be time to cry later," she said crisply, which I interpreted to mean _someone has to get you down the aisle, you pathetic excuse for a pureblood. _Of course, I was being sarcastic. Mother did not cry.

The music swelled. I swallowed hard. Normally I loved violin music, but now, I felt like it was serenading me into a prison sentence.

"It's time," said Mother. She gave me my bouquet, adjusted my necklaces, and pulled my veil over my face.

"_Smile_," she hissed, and then the doors were opening, the crowd standing, my feet carrying me forward. Sunlight fell through the church windows. I probably looked dazzlingly beautiful. I concentrated on not tripping.

Then, suddenly, I was there, at the end of the aisle, and Draco was standing in front of me, his expression not cold, but indifferent. I could have been any other pureblood girl— it didn't make a difference to him. _For the family, Astoria, _I told myself, and I smiled, forcing my lips upward. Happy. So happy. The wedding official began to speak. My ears were rebelling, only allowing me to pick up on a few phrases "Through sickness and health… to hold… cherish… respect and honor…

We were nearing the end.

"…forever and always, from this day forward."

I felt like I was falling. Was this really happening?

Draco's lips were moving.

"I do," he said, and then it was my turn.

How was I going to speak? My throat felt dry, scratchy. I swallowed, coughed, and spoke. "I do."

"I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the bride!"

_Oh, Merlin,_ I thought. Draco and I had rarely touched. We'd certainly never kissed. I was wearing a veil. _How is this going to work?_

Draco stepped forward, carefully lifted the veil from my face, and leaned in, wrapping his arms around my waist. His lips were cold against mine. For a moment, I completely forgot how to kiss someone and just stood there like an inexperienced idiot. Then my brain started working and I slipped my arms around his waist, feeling strangely detached, like a robot.

To my complete surprise, Draco leaned forward, dipping me. I held on a little tighter, terrified that I would let go and collapse on the floor.

Apparently we looked romantic, because the guests went wild. _At least someone's enjoying it, _I thought. I heard the snapping of cameras. Maybe the picture would make it into the _Daily Prophet. _Mother would be pleased.

After a considerable amount of time, we broke apart.

The wedding official turned us towards the crowd. "May I present to you… Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy!"

Instinctively, I wove my fingers through Draco's. He glanced at me, his expression uncertain, probably wondering if I actually wanted to hold his hand or if I was just playing for the crowd. I wasn't sure.

The wedding vows echoed in my head. _Forever and always, from this day forward, _I thought, and I wondered how the two of us were going to make it through all the days to come.

**AN: My newest multichap! Please don't follow/favorite without reviewing :) I'd love to know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2: Alone

**AN: Review are wonderful :)**

Once, when I was twelve years old, Mother called me into her office. I had been playing in the garden at the time and went running in, breathless, to see what she wanted.

"Astoria," she had said, "please be seated. I have a task for you."

I had sat down in front of her. Mother had never given me a _task _before, except for the well-known job of _staying out of the way. _

"Yes, Mother?" I said politely.

She fixed her icy blue eyes on me. "Astoria, Mr. Zabini and I have just agreed to an arrangement."

I nodded. I knew Mr. Zabini. His family and ours had always been close.

"We have decided that Daphne and Blaise are to be married."

I froze. Daphne, married? My ten-year-old sister Daphne? "Married?" I said.

"Yes," she replied. "After Daphne's twenty-first birthday, naturally."

I nodded, relieved. An arranged marriage wasn't too shocking—my parents had had one. Although the word "arranged" was a bit misleading— "heavily suggested" would probably be more fitting.

"Of course," I said.

"As you know, Daphne and Blaise will both be starting Hogwarts this year," said Mother. "Mr. Zabini and I are counting on you to chaperone Daphne and Blaise. Help them bond. Keep them away from other possible suitors."

"They're children," I protested.

Mother glared. "One must begin these things at an early age, Astoria. Of course, I shall count on you to be discreet. Neither of them shall know about this arrangement for several years."

I nodded. "Yes, Mother."

"Good. You may go."

As I rose to my feet, a thought occurred to me. Just before reaching the door, I paused.

"Mother?" I said, turning back towards her.

She sighed impatiently. "Yes?'

"Are you arranging a marriage for me, too?" I asked hesitantly, half-frightened by the idea.

She smiled her reptilian smile. "All in good time, my dear," she said. "All in good time."

Our wedding reception was loud and crowded. After our awkward "first dance" Draco and I were pulled apart by our relatives and friends. After greeting what felt like thousands of people, I finally managed to escape, sit down, and eat some food.

While devouring pasta with shrimp and peas in a creamy mushroom sauce, I watched the dance floor, making sure to smile, playing my role as the happy bride. I spotted Blaise and Daphne dancing together, laughing. The two of them were desperately in love. They didn't even know that their marriage had been arranged from the age of ten.

I, however, had no such luxuries. My marriage had taken much longer to arrange— the Malfoys would have preferred Daphne, who was closer to Draco's own age, and then the war had happened, messing up everyone's plans, as Mother had put it.

And then, two years ago, Mother had called me into her office once again and told me that everything was settled: I was to marry Draco Malfoy.

So it began: the awkward luncheons, the fake courtship, basically scripted, to satisfy the press. The Daily Prophet loved us. They thought we were so sweet, so romantic. The thought made me laugh. We had rarely spent any time alone.

It hadn't been forced on me, I knew. I had agreed. I had chosen my fate. I could have refused, and Mother would have found me someone else.

But I hadn't, so there I was.

The reception went on for hours and hours, with dancing and laughing and music and talking and drinking, until my head was spinning, and then, abruptly, Daphne was helping me change into a lacy blue "going away" dress, everyone was showering us with rice and bubbles, white balloons were drifting through the air, we were waving, and then Draco took my arm and we spun around— the maid was escorting us into our room— the door was closing.

I stumbled into the room and sat down on the bed, alone with my husband for the very first time.


	3. Chapter 3: Rose Petals

**AN: Hey peoples! Shout-out to the two people I know are reading this, the lovely Paradox (Paradox . bookjunkie, only without the spaces before and after the period- just don't question it) who is always awesome about reviewing, and my equally lovely sister (thebronzesickle.) I hope you like this chapter! **

The room was horrible.

Okay, fine.

The room was huge and spacious, with large windows overlooking the beach. The furniture literally sparkled. The floor was softly carpeted in pale blue. The pillows were silk, the blankets velvet.

But there was, as I will maintain, something very horrible about it. Or, if not horrible, certainly _awkward._

You see, my mother had made all of the arrangements for our honeymoon. Rather than send us off to Paris or some other glamorous location, she had rented us a two-week-long stay in a beautiful house along our own private French beach.

So I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised at how the room was set up.

There were pale pink candles everywhere, rose petals scattered on the bed, and low, romantic music playing. It was, to summarize, very obviously arranged for two people who had just gotten married.

I stared at the floor.

"Well," said Draco.

There was a long pause.

"This is… nice."

I coughed.

"Hello?" he said. "Anyone home?"

I looked up from the floor, meeting his gray eyes. "Hi," I said.

"Hi," he replied.

I held out my hand. "I'm Astoria. Lovely to make your acquaintance."

A small smile appeared on his face. "Draco," he said, holding out his hand. We shook hands, as though we were meeting for the first time— which, in a way, we were.

I yawned.

"Tired?" he said.

"It's been a long day."

"We could go to bed," he said.

I froze.

He turned bright red. "Um. I meant… to sleep. To sleep in the bed. Not… um."

Relieved, I nodded and headed into the bathroom.

After a long, hot shower, I toweled off, opened my bag, and discovered that my normal sleeping outfit— an oversized t-shirt and comfortable shorts— had been stolen from me. I was left with nothing but a couple of flimsy slips.

Rolling my eyes at my mother's ridiculousness, I stepped into one of the slips, blow-dried my hair, and headed into the bedroom. Draco was standing by the window. When he turned to face me, I saw a flicker of surprise run across his face.

"My mother stole my pajamas," I said, by way of explanation. I quickly slipped under the covers and noticed that Draco had cleared away the scattered rose petals.

"I'm going to shower now," he said.

I nodded and burrowed under the covers, immensely grateful that we were going to wait. I was certain that with time, Draco and I would be happy together and I would be able to sleep with him, but at the moment… it was too much to think about.

When I heard the shower turn off, I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. I listened as Draco emerged from the bathroom and walked around the room, blowing out the candles. Finally, he slipped into bed.

"Good night, Astoria," he whispered, and the last flame went out.


	4. Chapter 4: Important News

**AN: Finally, a long chapter! I hope you like it! **

I awoke to warm sunlight on my face. _Comfortable bed, _I thought. Silk, satin, velvet… nice and comfy. I stretched out luxuriously… and hit an arm.

With a yelp, I sat bolt upright, my eyes flying open. Then I realized who it was.

Draco.

My husband.

I suddenly realized that I was still wearing that ridiculous pink silk slip. Quickly but quietly, I climbed out of bed, headed into the bathroom, and pulled on a dark-blue sundress with a pattern of white flowers.

When I emerged from the bathroom, Draco was still asleep, so I headed downstairs. Our temporary home was lovely, very spacious and airy, with light pouring in from the large, sparkling windows.

When I managed to find the dining room, I discovered that the table had already been set and gleaming platters of food had been carefully arranged. Apparently our house staff had been instructed to keep a low profile, since there was no one in sight. I grabbed a muffin and headed out onto the beach.

It was low tide, and the water was calm, the waves small. I waded into the water, holding up my skirt with one hand, my muffin in the other. I'd always loved the ocean. I stayed there for a while, enjoying the coolness of the water.

When I returned to the dining room, I was surprised to find that Draco was already there, his hair wet from the shower, not-so-casually dressed in a white polo shirt and black dress pants.

"Good morning," I said.

He glanced up from the paper he had been reading. "Good morning, Astoria," he said, his eyes sweeping across me: my hair windblown, my bare feet covered in sand. "Breakfast is delicious."

I sat down, served myself, and began to eat.

He returned to his paper.

After several minutes of silence, I spoke. "The weather is lovely today."

He glanced up. "Oh?"

"A good day for a swim," I said.

He nodded.

I nodded.

He returned to his paper.

I finished the rest of meal in silence. "Would you care to go swimming with me?" I asked him, when I was done eating.

"No, thank you," he said.

I went for my swim.

And so it continued, for the next three days. I would make an attempt at conversation, he would answer with vague, noncommittal statements. I would suggest an activity, he would decline. At night, while he was getting ready for sleep, I would climb into the bed and pretend to be asleep.

By the fourth day, I was depressed, resigned to the fact that I was going to spend the rest of my life with a husband who clearly did not appreciate my company.

By the fifth day, I wondered if I was ever going to have children, or if I even wanted to.

By the sixth day, I had decided that I didn't want to.

On the seventh day, I awoke with a startling realization.

Maybe my cursed relationship was in fact a blessing in disguise. After all, if I had a husband that didn't pay any attention to what I did, I could do whatever I wanted— right?

So, that morning, instead of putting on some ditsy sundress, I put on a pair of jeans shorts and a t-shirt and headed off to find the kitchen.

After some considerable searching, I found a narrow staircase, hidden behind a gigantic painting of a couple, holding hands as they walked along the seashore, gazing rapturously into each other's eyes. _Very subtle, Mother. _

The staircase was cramped, dusty, and smelled distinctly of cabbage, but it did lead me where I wanted to go: a battered wooden door marked _Kitchen. _I pushed open the door and was met with an extraordinary sight.

In the middle of the kitchen, standing on the gleaming white counter, was a pretty girl my own age, headphones in her ears, dancing wildly.

The moment she spotted me, the girl uttered a loud shriek and stumbled, her arms flailing wildly. I darted forward and grasped her by the arm, steadying her.

"Oh my Merlin!" she exclaimed, pulling her headphones out of her ears and scrambling off the counter. "I'm so sorry— I didn't mean— I was just—

"It's all right," I said, smiling at her. Up close, I could tell how young she was— at least two or three years younger than me. She was undeniably pretty, with massive amounts of reddish-gold hair, greenish eyes, and pale skin dotted here and there with freckles. "What's your name?"

"Juliana," she said, "Juliana McGillis. Mrs. Malfoy, I am so, so, sorry—

"Oh, please!" I exclaimed, "don't call me Mrs. Malfoy. Call me Astoria, and I'll call you Juliana. You're the maid, aren't? I remember you showing us to our room, our first night here."

"Yes, I am," she said. "The maid and the cook. I can do both pretty well, since I use magic for the cleaning. My mum taught me all the good spells. But I'm rambling— what can I do to help you… Astoria?"

"I'd like to make some brownies," I said.

"All right, I'll whip some up for you," said Juliana.

I shook my head, laughing. "Don't you dare. You sit down and tell me all about yourself."

Fifteen minutes later, Juliana was perched on the kitchen counter, chattering away, while I laughed and mixed my brownie batter. I learned that her family was Irish, but she had grown up in France and attended Beaxbatons. S she had begun a career in Magical Law Enforcement, hated it, quit, and started working as a maid.

"But why?" I asked. "What can possibly be fun about being a maid?"

"It's _interesting_!" said Juliana. "You rich people lead such fascinating lives. Besides, when we go back to your manor house, I'm to be your personal maid, and not the cook."

"Oh, I'm so glad," I said. "It will be wonderful to have some company. The house that Narcissa gave us is _so _dreary and horrible."

"We'll brighten it up somehow," said Juliana cheerfully. "Now, you tell me— how has Mr. Malfoy been?"

"I'm assuming you mean Draco," I said, licking the chocolate-covered spatula.

"Yes, him."

I rolled my eyes. "He's very… aloof. Not cold, exactly, but certainly not friendly. Most of the time he just ignores me. I don't think he's used to having company."

"Well, maybe in time, you'll learn to care for him," said Juliana hopefully.

"I'm not too easily won over," I said. "He'd have to be _very _charming."

At that exact moment, the kitchen door swung open and Draco appeared.

"Astoria!" he said. "I've been looking for— what are you doing?"

"Cooking," I said, raising my eyebrows at him. "Ever heard of it?"

"The cook could make you something if you wanted it," he said.

"_Juliana_ has been very helpful," I said, "but I wanted to make something for myself."

"Well, either way," he said. "Please come to the table. I have something important to discuss with you."

"Of course, my husband," I said, fluttering my eyelashes at him. "I'll come up as soon as the brownies are finished."

He blinked, evidently thrown by my bizarre behavior, but all he said was "Good." With that, he turned on his heel and headed back up the staircase.

I made a face at his back.

Juliana giggled.

The moment he was gone, I turned to face her. "See what I mean?" I said. "He's so stiff and uptight."

"Just a bit," she said. "I wonder what his important news is."

I shrugged. "I guess I'll find out," I said.

**xxxxx**

When I arrived in the dining room twenty minutes later, carrying a plate of brownies, Draco was standing at the window, gazing out at the ocean, his back turned to me.

"Hi," I said.

He turned to face me. "Hi," he said. "Why don't we sit down?"

We sat.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair. "I'm afraid I have something rather unfortunate to tell you."

"What is it?" I asked.

He sighed again. "Do you remember Pansy Parkingston?"

I frowned. "Didn't you two have a thing for each other at Hogwarts?"

He blinked. "Um, yes. I mean, we held hands a few times. It wasn't very serious, believe me."

I smiled sweetly. "Of course. Go on."

"Anyways, she's changed quite a bit in the past few years— become quite the _activist_, apparently."

"Activist?" I said.

He nodded. "Apparently, her latest cause is Pureblood arranged marriages."

My throat suddenly felt dry. "Meaning what, exactly?"

"Meaning that the Ministry has decided that it is going to be evaluating marriage that might have been arranged— marriages like ours. If they decide that the marriage is not a marriage of love, the marriage will be terminated."

Evaluated? Terminated? My head was spinning. "So we're going to have to prove that we're in love?"

He nodded.

"But we're not," I said bluntly. I could feel a panic attack coming on. "How are we going to do this? I barely know you! We've hardly spent any time together! I don't even know what your favorite color is, for Merlin's sake! I—

"Astoria," he said, reaching across the table and taking my hands, an act so bizarre for him that I stopped talking. "I know that you're worried, but we have to do this. If we don't, our parents could go to Azkaban."

"_Azkaban_?" I said, my eyes widening.

"Marriages like ours are illegal," he said quietly. "Up until now, that law has largely been ignored, but it is a law."

I shook my head. "How are we going to do this?" I repeated in a whisper.

He gently squeezed my hands. "We have a while. Probably a year. That's enough time to get to know someone. Now, why don't you go put on your bathing suit? We can go for a swim."

I was surprised at his suggestion, but it seemed like a good idea. "Okay." I got up from the table and headed for the door. I was almost out of the room when Draco spoke.

"Oh, and Astoria?"

I turned back towards him. There was a faint smile on his face. "Yes?"

"It's blue," he said.

"What?"

"My favorite color."

I felt a tiny smile appear on my own lips. "Blue," I said. "I'll keep that in mind."


	5. Chapter 5: Questions and Answers

**AN: Hello, people! Thank you for reviewing, particularly the guest You KNOW Who, who pointed out that the story seems a bit historical and old-fashioned, and requested that Draco and Astoria "go on a roller coaster or something." Good point. I promise that there will be a roller coaster somewhere within the next three chapters. In the meantime, I hope you like this one! Please review! **

Alone in our bedroom, I tried to calm my thoughts. As Draco had said, we had a whole year to get ready. Surely that would be plenty of time. I ran a brush through my hair, braided it, and pulled on my favorite bikini, the dark-blue one with white polka-dots.

When I went downstairs, I discovered that Draco had already changed and was ready to go swimming.

"Ready?" he asked.

I nodded.

He hesitated for a second, and then held out his hand. "We may as well act the part," he said.

_Why not? _I thought. I slid my hand into his, and we headed out onto the beach, hand in hand, like the perfect couple.

"So," said Draco, as we made our way across the soft white sand, "tell me about yourself, Astoria."

"Um," I said. "Well. What should I tell you?"

"Well," he said, "I already know that you're a Ravenclaw and that you like to bake brownies."

I laughed. "Okay. Yes, I'm a Ravenclaw. I enjoy brownies and anything else that's made out of chocolate. I like to read and write poetry. I like little kids. Astronomy was always my favorite subject. My favorite color is purple. I like thunderstorms more than sunny weather. Now it's your turn."

"Hmm," he said. "Well… as you know, I was a Slytherin. I prefer vanilla to chocolate. I like reading about history, but everything else bores me. Small children terrify me. My favorite subject was Potions. Winter is my favorite season."

I shook my head sadly. "Vanilla? You must be delusional. Besides, what's so bad about little kids?"

"They're _scary_," he said. "They're tiny and they cry all the time."

I laughed.

"Want to go for a swim?" he asked. We had reached the water.

"Sure," I said. I let go of his hand, took a deep breath, and sprinted in, shrieking at the initial coldness. Quickly, I dove under and began to swim to warm myself up. I made it quite a ways out before Draco caught up with me.

"You're fast," he said, treading water.

"I like swimming," I said. "We had a pool. Daphne and I used to sneak out and swim almost every night."

"Why did you have to sneak out?"

"We weren't allowed to swim during the day," I said, watching as a blue-and-silver fish darted past.

"So why didn't you go during the day?"

I grinned. "That's less fun."

"Oh, I see," he said, raising his eyebrows. "You're a rebel."

I fluttered my eyelashes innocently. "Who, me?"

He laughed.

"So," I said, "how are we going to learn all of these things about each other?"

"Why don't we play a game?" he suggested.

"A game?"

"Yes," he said. "To get to know each other. I'll ask you a question, and then you have to answer honestly, and then you get to ask me a question."

"Isn't that called… a conversation?"

"Except no lying," he said. "If you lie, you lose."

"But you won't know if I lie," I said.

He raised his eyebrows. "Since it's pretty important for us to know the truth about each other, I doubt you'll lie."

"Good point," I said. "Would you care to go first?"

"Sure," he said, floating on his back. I imitated him, floating and gazing up at the sky.

"What's your favorite kind of music?" he asked. I answered, and then I asked, and we continued that way, going back and forth for several hours, sometimes swimming, sometimes floating.

To my surprise, I found that Draco wasn't as horrible as I had been expecting. He was a bit pretentious, scoffing at my liking of girl bands like the Charmhearts, and a bit lazy, admitting that he didn't know how to cook, since the Malfoy servants had always done it for him. But he also seemed intelligent and fairly friendly, which made me wonder why he had been so cold towards me the past few days. I learned other things, too: he was a good dancer, on account of the lessons his mother made him take, he liked weird food like sushi, and he didn't know how to drive a car.

After a few hours, we started to get cold, so he suggested that we head inside. Upon arriving in the dining room, we discovered that Juliana had already laid out lunch for us.

"I'm going to go change," I said, at exactly the same moment he said "I think I'll go get dressed."

We both gave a surprised laugh.

"You go ahead," he said.

"You're getting the floor wet," I said. "I'll change in the bathroom and you can change in the bedroom."

"Okay," he said, so we headed upstairs together. I quickly gathered up my clothes and headed into the bathroom. I squeezed some of the water out of my braid and pulled on a jeans skirt and a t-shirt. Figuring that Draco had already finished, I opened the bathroom door.

To my surprise, Draco was standing in the bedroom, shirtless. Apparently he _wasn't _finished. I stared at him for a moment or two. Although he had been shirtless when we went swimming, I hadn't really been paying attention. Despite being skinny, he was actually fairly fit.

I realized I was staring and quietly closed the bathroom door. Luckily, he hadn't spotted me.

A moment later, Draco knocked. "Ready to go down?" he asked.

"Ready," I said, and I opened the door and smiled.


End file.
